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Metallurg and CSKA to meet again!
In the 2021-2022 campaign, CSKA emerged as the ultimate winner after a final series against Magnitka. Tonight, the two giants meet again as Metallurg seek its revenge for the defeats in the Gagarin Cup series and the first game of this season, when the Sergei Fedorov’s side had a sound, 6:2 victory.
The KHL matchday starts again in the Far East, with Amur hosting Torpedo. Both teams collected wins recently, with the Tigers defeating Neftekhimik and Torpedo sinking the Sailors in Vladivostok. The action then moves to Kazakhstan. Nikita Mikhailis is back for Barys, and he scored three straight times to help the Kazakhs returning to the right side of the playoffs line. Tonight’s opponent, however, will be Avtomobilist – the Motormen have already defeated Barys on Monday, and the rematch will be an exciting one.
Another exciting showdown will see Ak Bars facing Lokomotiv. The Kazan side had a disappointing home loss to Sibir most recently, and they will look to return to victory also to try to win back the fans’ trust. However, the Railwaymen are currently the third seed in the West, and they need points to protect from Torpedo’s assaults.
Another Moscow team busy with an away match is Dynamo. The Blue-and-Whites won’t travel long, but will face Kunlun Red Star as the Dragons will want to return to victory after losing to Metallurg in their latest game. Moreover, Kunlun is yet to defeat Dynamo in KHL official matches, and this may be a good motivational boost for them. The showdowns between HC Sochi and Dinamo Minsk, and Salavat Yulaev and Traktor close a busy KHL Friday with seven games on tap.
12:00: Amur (13-15-16, 10thE) vs Torpedo (22-12-2, 4thW)
About the game
Amur ends a three-game home series fresh off a win over Neftekhimik on Wednesday (5:1).
Torpedo, who has already defeated Torpedo this season (6:1), enters the second of a four-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Amur’s forward Denis Vikharev is on a five-game home series, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Torpedo: Kenny Agostino, Vasily Atanasov, Kirill Urakov, Daniil Veryayev.
16:30: Barys (15-19-3, 8thE) vs Avtomobilist (24-8-3, 1stE)
About the game
Barys starts a three-game home series fresh off a win over Traktor on Wednesday (4:1).
Avtomobilist starts a two-game road trip after defeating Barys on Monday (4:3 OT).
In this season’s head-to-head games, Barys collected a win (2:0), but the Motormen prevailed twice (2:0, 4:3 OT).
Barys’ forward Anthony Louis is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Barys’ forward Nikita Mikhailis tallied a goal in each of his previous three games.
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa is on a five-game scoring streak, with 11 (3+8) points.
Avtomobilist’s defenseman Nick Ebert is on a seven-game scoring streak, also with 11 (5+6) points.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Patrice Cormier, Anatoly Golyshev, Alexei Makeyev.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s goalie Igor Bobkov may record his 30thKHL shutout.
17:00: Metallurg (23-8-4, 2ndE) vs CSKA (23-7-5, 2ndW)
About the game
Metallurg starts a two-game home series and won its previous four matches.
CSKA, who has already defeated Metallurg this season (6:2), starts a two-game road trip after a loss to Avangard on Wednesday (2:3).
Metallurg’s forward Evgeny Korobkin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Metallurg’s forward Mikhail Fisenko is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
CSKA’s forward Konstantin Okulov had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
CSKA’s forward Maxim Sorkin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 7 (4+3) points.
CSKA’s forward Maxim Mamin is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Injury list
Metallurg: Artyom Minulin.
CSKA: Vitaly Abramov, Darren Dietz, Vitaly Kamenev, Nikita Rtishchev, Vsevolod Skotnikov, Danil Yurtaikin.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s forward Nikolai Goldobin may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (18-10-7, 5thE) vs Traktor (14-18-5, 9thE)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev, who defeated Traktor twice this season (3:2, 3:0), ends a three-game home series after a loss to Metallurg on Sunday (1:3).
Traktor starts a four-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Ivan Drozdov, Josh Ho-Sang, Trevor Murphy.
Traktor: Kirill Kapustin.
19:30: Ak Bars (15-14-6, 7thE) vs Lokomotiv (22-8-6, 3rdW)
About the game
Ak Bars enters the third of a four-game home series after a loss to Sibir on Wednesday (3:6).
Lokomotiv starts a three-game road trip on a four-match winning streak.
Ak Bars’ forward Vadim Shipachyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitry Voronkov had five goals in his latest three matches.
Lokomotiv’s forward Denis Alexeyev had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Lokomotiv’s defenseman Rushan Rafikov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Mikhail Glukhov, Dinar Khafizullin.
Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin.
19:30: Kunlun Red Star (13-21-3, 10thW) vs Dynamo Moscow (19-12-5, 5thW)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star, who is yet to defeat Dynamo Moscow at the KHL level, is in the middle of a five-game home series and lost to Metallurg on Tuesday (1:6).
Dynamo Moscow, who has defeated the Dragons twice this season (3:2 OT, 5:3), starts a two-game road trip fresh off a win over Vityaz on Wednesday (3:2 OT).
Dynamo’s forward Jordan Weal is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 9 (4+5) points over that span.
Dynamo’s forward Alexander Skorenov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Jack Chelios, Matt Jurusik, Paris O’Brien.
Dynamo Moscow: Eric O’Dell, Bogdan Yakimov, Vladislav Yefremov.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Andrei Mironov may record his 100thKHL assist (currently at 99).
19:30: HC Sochi (5-23-6, 11thW) vs Dinamo Minsk (16-13-8, 7thW)
About the game
HC Sochi starts a two-game home series on a six-match losing streak.
Dinamo Minsk ends a two-game road trip and lost to Spartak on Wednesday (2:1 SO).
HC Sochi had one win over Minsk this season (3:1), but the Belarusian franchise defeated them twice (3:5, 3:4 OT).
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Nick Merkley is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Mikhail Berdin, Artyom Fyodorov, Danila Galenyuk, Fyodor Kroshchinsky, Joe Morrow.
Dinamo Minsk: Brandon Kozun, Cedric Paquette.
